Anglers aboard a passenger sportfishing boat and some others in private vessels probably were celebrating one of the best fishing days they ever had on the water last Sunday.

Unfortunately for the anglers, the day was too good to be true.

Whether you’re fishing from a private boat or a passenger sportfishing vessel, now is not the time to be caught in marine protected areas in California.

California Department of Fish and Wildlife marine wardens cited several boats, including one party boat, for fishing in marine protected areas and other protected waters near the Channel Islands on Sunday.

The DFW patrol boat, Swordfish, which is based in Ventura Harbor, stopped three private boats and one commercial passenger recreation boat and found numerous violations on all four vessels.

The fishermen on the private boats were cited for fishing inside the MPA, fishing without a license, taking rockfish in a closed area and for taking rockfish in water deeper than 120 feet.

In the case of the fourth boat, wardens cited the Ranger 85, an 85-foot long sportfishing boat that was fishing at the Osborne Bank, five miles south of Santa Barbara Island. It was inside the Cowcod Conservation Area and fishing in that area in water beyond 120 feet is prohibited. The Ranger 85’s anglers were fishing at depths of at least 170 feet, wardens reported. They cited the captain of the boat and five crew members for multiple violations of the Fish and Game code. The limit on ocean whitefish per day is 10 per angler, but the boat had 371 ocean whitefish, 195 assorted rockfish, 12 sheephead and 33 boccacio for 30 anglers. Their total of 611 fish was well over the legal limits. The captain of the Ranger 85 also was cited for a logbook violation. The boat’s Web site identifies the captain of the boat as Frank Ursitti. The boat is based out of the Channel Islands Sportfishing Center in Oxnard.

“The Marine Protected Areas were established to help fish species recover and thrive,” said Lt. Wes Boyle, captain of the Swordfish. “Every fisherman and boat captain needs to be 100 percent aware of the MPA areas and boundaries.”

According to the DFW, the Swordfish returned to Ventura Harbor and enlisted the help of several local wildlife officers to donate the confiscated fish to local food banks and charities.